Judge says Twin Cities airport neighbors deserve compensation for noise

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MINNEAPOLIS — A judge has ruled that property owners near Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport deserve compensation for air traffic noise.

The heirs of the 60-acre Kelley Farm in Bloomington sued the Metropolitan Airports Commission after a new runway was opened about a mile from the property. The owners argue the farm, considered a prime development target, lost value because of the air traffic. The Star Tribune reported that an estimated 450 planes fly directly over the land each day.

The property owners also sued the City of Bloomington because it rezoned the land from residential in order to accommodate the new runway. The judge rejected that argument.

The judge, however, says the air traffic noise reduced the value of the land by as much as $630,000. A decision on compensation could be made by a condemnation commission.

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